The first excerpt is a clip from a 2006 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show in which Elie Wiesel and Oprah Winfrey visited Auschwitz together. The clip introduces viewers to some of Wiesel’s experiences in the concentration camp and shows them archival images of the camp.

The second excerpt is from the canonical Holocaust documentary Night and Fog. Alain Resnais’s documentary film uses archival footage, as well as images of the present day, to depict the horrors of the Holocaust. The full film is available through the University of Miami School of Communication on vimeo. 

Note: both clips in this resource contain graphic and disturbing images, and students should be given warning before viewing them.

Suggested Activity: Watch the videos and ask students to analyze them side-by-side, focusing specifically on the sound, color, and camera movement in these excerpts. How are the two video excerpts different? Which emotions do they evoke? Is one excerpt more unsettling than the other, and why? How is archival material used in each, and do you think the archival material is necessary or effective? Why or why not? For a closer reading, ask students to focus on the depictions of prisoners in each video excerpt. What does each clip focus on about prisoners' experiences in the camps?